Jiang Ye watched as the high-temperature zone was plowed by firepower, then plowed back, then bombarded from left to right, and then from right to left.
After four full barrages of firepower, most of the shells had been fired.
The electromagnetic cannon finally fell silent, and a mist-like heat rose from the deck, the barrel glowing so red it seemed about to melt.
"Target one should be cleared," 001's expression returned to normal. "We can launch missiles to eliminate target two. It's already auto-aimed, please approve the launch."
Jiang Ye found that as captain, all he had to do was shout "Approve." "Approved."
A string of missiles soared from the deck, trailing white smoke, tracing graceful arcs into the sky, and whistling away. The entire ship vibrated slightly.
"Dock, open the landing pods, and let the armored units out to proceed to High-Temperature Zone One," Jiang Ye said.
As the ship slowly docked while launching missiles, the orders were automatically relayed. The long-awaited spider units marched out in formation, interspersed with some rocket artillery vehicles, and charged through the snowfield, advancing into the distance.
The heat insulation on the rocket artillery vehicles' chassis seemed average, with their thick wheels constantly emitting white steam, making them quite conspicuous.
The reason for sending troops to High-Temperature Zone One was to scout the scene and ensure there were no residual metal moth nests or venomous moths. The principle was "kill the enemy completely, and cut the grass by the roots." These things had to be thoroughly cleared; leaving even a trace would become a great disaster.
A satellite aerial photograph of High-Temperature Zone Two suddenly popped up, zoomed in to its maximum, and appeared on the screen.
Missiles fell one after another, exploding in mid-air, transforming into hundreds or thousands of white smoke trails like waterfalls, crashing down onto the ground. The scene was quite spectacular, with the entire area from the sky to the ground engulfed in flames.
After the first wave of missiles was expended, without Jiang Ye needing to say anything, 001 automatically issued the order to reload.
The warship's missile reloading system was manually confirmed and mechanically auto-loaded. Manual confirmation was to reduce accidents caused by reloading malfunctions in case of system failure, while auto-loading increased efficiency. After all, it was an inexpensive warship, so only this cheap and reliable method could be used.
In the ship's lower-level ammunition bay, three supply soldiers were stationed, each in charge of a missile magazine. Upon receiving the order, the supply soldiers pulled down the control levers, and the loading machines quickly filled the missiles.
A few minutes later, a new wave of missiles began to launch, this time targeting High-Temperature Zone Three.
After waiting for the missiles to launch, Jiang Ye immediately ordered the flap-wing aircraft to take off and proceed to the three high-temperature zones respectively to survey the situation.
The aircraft took to the sky one after another, quickly flying out, forming formations, and then heading into the distance, soon becoming small black dots on the horizon.
Jiang Ye picked up his teacup and took a sip. This combat mission, as expected, was completed, and it was even easier than anticipated.
Next, all that was needed was to wait for the troops to reach the high-temperature zones and check the scene.
If there were no remaining metal moth nests or venomous moths, they could pack up and go home. The colony was safe for the time being.
001 walked to the corner again, pacing back and forth idly.
Her mission was complete, and she instantly transformed from a serious female officer into a bored little girl.
Jiang Ye quietly observed her. She was indeed incredibly lifelike, with details from head to toe: the subtle creases on her clothes, the countable eyelashes, her pretty little face, and a small lock of hair playfully sticking out, swaying gently as she walked.
If an uninformed officer were to enter and report, they might mistake 001 for a real person, perhaps even fall in love at first sight.
"Bring up the satellite image of High-Temperature Zone Four," Jiang Ye said, looking at her and issuing the order.
001 showed no reaction, still pacing by the wall.
"Hey, hey," Jiang Ye called out.
"It's already being brought up," 001 replied without looking up.
Jiang Ye blinked in surprise, then turned to look at the screen. Indeed, the satellite image of High-Temperature Zone Four was already displayed.
Beside it was also a smaller image showing the same location from four hours prior.
Comparing the two, it was evident that the high-temperature zone had expanded significantly.
Jiang Ye's expression became worried. High-Temperature Zone Four was too far away to attack for now, but judging by its growth rate, the local venomous moths were breeding frantically, spreading like a plague.
They had to find a way to strike quickly, or it would become a major threat.
"You don't need to worry too much," 001 suddenly said.
Jiang Ye turned his gaze to her.
"The growth of High-Temperature Zone Four has entered a bottleneck period and will not pose a threat for the time being," 001 explained.
"How can you tell it's reached a bottleneck period?" Jiang Ye asked, confused.
"If the local metal ore reserves were sufficient, the current area of High-Temperature Zone Four should be four times larger than it is now," 001 said seriously. "According to my data calculations, the metal moth nests and venomous moths in High-Temperature Zone Four should have already depleted the local metal ore. If nothing unexpected happens, High-Temperature Zone Four will gradually disappear."
"Does that mean the metal moth nests will move to other metal mines and form new high-temperature zones?" Jiang Ye pondered.
"Not necessarily one, it could be many," 001 smiled. "Of course, it's also possible that no new high-temperature zones will form, because the metal moth nests cannot cross the sea. Once they cannot find new metal mines on that continent, the growth of the moth nests will stop."
Jiang Ye's pressure suddenly lessened. "If you put it that way, the venomous moths don't seem so terrifying."
"No enemy is terrifying if you know their secrets," 001 smiled. "The methods to deal with venomous moths were obtained through the loss of many lives and a great deal of money. Any new weapon from an enemy needs to be tested with human lives and vast sums of money."
Jiang Ye nodded, he had also considered these points.
"By the way, do you know any other weapons the Mil people have?" Jiang Ye suddenly sat up straight. "Tell me, what new weapons are the Mil people most likely to throw at us?"
"I don't know now, but you will know in the future," 001's smile suddenly became meaningful.
"What do you mean?"
"Before I see a new weapon, I cannot access its data. This is for information security, to prevent leaks if it's captured by alien races. Combat assistants like me have an information lock function."
Jiang Ye listened, half understanding, roughly grasping the meaning but not the specific details.
Before he could ask further, news from the front arrived.
[Che Zhen: Report! Air force units have approached High-Temperature Zone One and are now descending for reconnaissance.]
Jiang Ye opened the holographic projection, zooming in to a one-to-one scale.
Che Zhen's cockpit view immediately appeared, along with his voice.
Jiang Ye could see the still-smoking ground, littered with craters, each large enough to fit hundreds of himself, with the larger ones being truly spectacular. The original flat terrain had been transformed into a series of hills after the intense bombardment.
He could vaguely see some glittering objects, unsure if they were rocks or metal.
Che Zhen's flap-wing aircraft slowly descended, passing through layers of smoke, to a position a few meters above the ground.
Some small flying objects clearly appeared outside the window.